AN AXE-throwing centre could open inside a new York restaurant.

The Viking-inspired venue would serve up hot dogs as well as cocktails and have bowling alley-style bays in the back where groups can practise their throwing skills.

A licensing application has been submitted for the business, which will be called The Hilt, to open in Goodramgate in the empty unit next door to Savers.

The venue will be run by friends Alex Cronin and Josh Goodwin. Drinks maestro Alex, 29, has worked in hospitality in York for more than 10 years. He also runs Speakeasy Libations and until recently, 4Swings - a tiny cocktail bar in Spark:York which closed at the end of March.

The pair are hoping to open The Hilt in July and Alex said: “It will be a bit bigger than 4Swings – I’m relatively certain I was the second smallest bar in the world.

“It will be Nordic-themed like a dark forest. York has such a massive Viking history and we wanted to play with that. It fits very well with the axe-throwing centre.

“We are trying to shift the idea away from bars in York that are just there for people to get drunk. One of the issues with drinking in York is that there’s not really much to do other than drink. This is a really great alternative to what you can do.”

He added that there will be six axe-throwing bays at the back for customers over the age of 16 to hone their Viking skills, and safety will be the highest priority with supervision from instructors and strict limits on serving alcohol to people taking part.

He said: “It’s like an archery range – you are literally throwing axes at a target. It’s like dangerous bowling. It’s already popular in Canada and America and we want to bring it to York.

“We would love to start a league based here in York.”

The 80-seat restaurant would create 20 jobs and serve some of Alex’s popular unique cocktails including a drink with bacon-flavoured bourbon, maple syrup and rosemary.